Crucible Cast

From Archon Arcana - The KeyForge Wiki
The original members of the Crucible Cast

The Crucible Cast was a (roughly monthly) series of videos produced by FFG where they announce updates and events for Keyforge. The Crucible Cast has been a key source of information for rules clarifications. All of the videos linked here are hosted on YouTube.

Episode 1

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications: (no rules questions answered)

Episode 2

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Summary:

  • Review of how Chainbound events work and how they are tracked in the Master Vault
  • Track casual wins/losses in the Master Vault
  • Power Levels are permanent, when you reach a power level, you can't lose it.
  • Announcement of Prize Walls and how Æmbershards can be used.
  • Keys on the app will allow you to unlock special events at Vault Tours
  • Organized Play pyramid
  • More information about Vault Tours

Rules Clarifications:

  • Gateway to Dis destroys all creatures simultaneously.
  • Tolas has to survive to give Æmber, doesn't give Æmber during board wipes.
  • Creatures that die before their Fight: ability triggers can't trigger their Fight: ability.
  • A Bad Penny destroyed by Yxilo Bolter's Fight/Reap ability is returned to its owners hand as a new object and not able to be purged.
  • An Oubliette can purge a Bad Penny because her Destroyed: ability doesn't trigger.
  • Anger played on a creature when the opponent has no creatures readies the creature. It doesn't fight, but is now available to be used to reap if it belongs to the active house.
  • Anger played on a stunned creature will ready it, exhaust it, and remove the stun instead of readying it and causing it to exhaust and fight.
  • Anger played on a stunned creature against an empty opponent's board can still remove the stun.
  • Anger still removes the stun if the creature is of a non-active house.
  • Multiple Phase Shift's played during the turn give you one more non-logos card to play. The ordering also doesn't matter (you can play 2 phase shifts, 2 logos cards, and then are still able to play 2 non-logos cards).

Episode 3

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Summary:

  • Organized Play Season 1 kit announced, most of the prizes are awarded for participation, not winning.
  • Organized play kit could support Team League format or Chainbound events
  • Power Level 4 is the cap for Chainbound.

Rules Clarifications: (no rules questions answered)

Episode 4

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Summary:

  • More information on Vault Tours and Prize Walls
  • Top 4 at a Vault Tour gets entry into another Vault Tour
  • Winner of Vault Tour gets a travel credit to another Vault Tour
  • Entering a Vault Tour is 30 Æmbershards, wins are 15 Æmbershards, Top 16 and up gets more.
  • Top Æmbershard earners at Vault Tours will get an invite to Worlds
  • Second Set (Age of Ascension) was announced, KeyForge has no set rotation
  • Through Organized Play, decks can ascend and no longer be legal for tournament play.
  • The Grey Rider spoiled for Age of Ascension

Rules Clarifications:

  • Drummernaut was errata'd to "You may return a friendly Giant creature to your hand." but this errata was updated again in Crucible Cast 7.
  • If Assault or Hazardous damage destroys a creature, that creature is not considered to have been destroyed in a fight, and won't give Æmber for The Warchest.
  • If a creature has a Before Fight: and an Assault ability, the active player chooses the order they resolve, but they both still resolve, regardless whether the defender dies before or during the fight.
  • If a creature has an assault ability and a fight ability, and the assault ability destroys the creature, the fight ability won't trigger because a fight didn't occur.
  • Using a creature with Poison to attack a creature next to Shadow Self will destroy the Shadow Self when the damage is redirected.
  • A Shadow Self destroyed with redirected fight damage is still considered to have been destroyed in a fight even though it was not the original target. The Warchest will give an Æmber.
  • A Neutron Shark played with an empty deck is not able to repeat its effect. With the exception of draw, if an ability references the top card of the deck and the deck is empty, the discard pile is not shuffled to form a new deck.

Episode 5

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Summary:

  • Results of Eindhoven and Seattle Vault Tours
  • New features added to the Master Vault, including Æmbershard logs and Leaderboards
  • More Vault Tours announced

Rules Clarifications: (no rules questions answered)

Episode 6

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications:

  • Gabos Longarms attacking an Elusive creature and targeting another creature deals no damage to the other creature because the first elusive nullifies the damage This was later changed with an update to the FAQ for Gabos Longarms, now stating that elusive only prevents damage to the elusive creature
  • Gabos Longarms attacking a non-elusive creature and targeting an elusive creature does deal damage to the elusive creature because it is not fighting that creature
  • If Gabos Longarms destroys a creature, even though it was not the one it was fighting, that creature will still be considered to have been destroyed in a fight, and will generate Æmber for The Warchest

Episode 7

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications:

  • If you play a maverick Pitlord with no Dis on your identity card, the rule that you cannot choose a house that's not on your identity card overrules Pitlord's rule that says you must choose Dis. So you can choose any house.
  • Drummernaut was errata'd again to "Play/Fight/Reap: Return another friendly Giant creature to your hand."

Episode 8

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Summary:

  • 1,000,000 decks registered in the Master Vault
  • Jim Cartwright takes over as Card Game Department Manager
  • OP results for UKGE, Origins, and Bologna Vault Tours
  • KeyForge won two awards at Origins: Fan Favorite Collectible Card Game and Best Collectible Game
  • Store Championship kits available.

Rules Clarifications:

  • Archimedes initial clarification stating Archimedes' ability allowed a player to archive their entire battleline when a board wipe was played. This has since been overruled and no longer applies with the Destroyed rules update of Rulebook 1.4
  • If I have Drummernaut and Ganger Chieftain in my hand, how many Æmber can I gain if my opponent has no creatures in play? You'll gain 5 Æmber before the Rule of six stops you from continuing to use the Drummernaut.

Episode 9

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications:

  • Destroyed triggers can only trigger once. This is further outlined in the Destroyed section of the 1.4 Rulebook
  • A creature under Jargogle that gets played when Jargogle is destroyed is not destroyed by the same destroying event (such as a board wipe) that destroyed Jargogle.
  • A card with the Alpha keyword under a Jargogle can't be played because of the Alpha restriction, so it tries to go back to where it came from (under Jargogle), but that location no longer exists, so the card goes to the discard pile.

Episode 10

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Summary:

  • Vault Tour recaps for GenCon Archon and Sealed Vault Tours and Krakow Archon and Sealed Vault Tours
  • Teaser for Special Announcement (that would later be revealed to be the VaultWarrior Series)

Rules Clarifications:

Episode 11

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Summary:

  • New Organized Play kit prizes announced including "Ugly Sweater" style prizes for Vault Tour Prize Walls and the Fuzzy Gruen plushie and the Duskrunner vinyl figure
  • Announcement of VaultWarrior series

Rules Clarifications:

  • Stunned Deipno Spymaster cannot be used unless you have chosen Shadows as your Active house. This has been updated in Crucible Cast 17 and Rulebook 1.6
  • If a [non-Omni] card effect allows the creature to fight or reap or for any other reason do something it will instead remove the stun, meaning you can still get around it in other ways, but in this case, Omni is not going to be one of those. Ganger Chieftain was mentioned as an example of one of those card effects. Omni: is not the same as "belonging to every house" (like Mack the Knife). This has been updated in Crucible Cast 17 and Rulebook 1.6

Episode 12

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications: (no rules questions answered)

Episode 13

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications: (no rules questions answered)

Episode 14

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications:

Episode 15

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications: (no rules questions answered)

Episode 16

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Summary:

Rules Clarifications: (No rules questions answered)

Episode 17

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Summary: Brad Andres announces that he is leaving Fantasy Flight Games. Danny Schaefer will be taking over as the lead designer on KeyForge.

Rules Clarifications:

  • If the effect says you can move the creature anywhere in the battleline, you may move the creature anywhere in the battleline, including where the creature is currently. If an effect says you must move the creature to a flank and the creature is already on a flank, then the creature can remain where it is or move to the opposite flank. This updates previous rulings for things like Tyxl Beambuckler
  • Stun rules will be updated. You can unstun a creature anytime it could normally be used , whether because it belongs to the Active house or because a card effect allows you to use it. (Ganger Chieftain, Signal Fire, and Ghosthawk would all allow you to unstun).
  • However, if an upgrade gives the creature an ability that refers to the upgrade by name, the reference is only to that copy of the upgrade.
  • Wards will not retroactively prevent a creature that has been tagged for destruction from leaving play. Once a creature has been tagged for destruction it's too late for the creature to be saved by a Ward. While a Ward can prevent a creature from being tagged for destruction, it will not prevent an already-tagged creature from leaving play.
  • If a card like Smite or Pain Reaction affects a card's neighbors after it leaves play, the effect applies to the neighbors at the time the targeted card left play.
  • Effects that look at whether or not Æmber was stolen require that Æmber be stolen from the pool, so Molephin would not trigger if Gargantodon was in play.
  • Replicator's controller can choose one of that creature's reap effects to copy. Replicator's ability refers to "the reap effect" (singular).
  • If Jargogle ends up with two or more cards underneath it, Jargogle's destroyed effect triggers once, allowing you to play or archive one of the cards underneath it (of the active player's choice).
  • Throwing Stars pays out only for cards that are directly destroyed by Throwing Stars' damage.

Episode 18

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Summary: Danny Schaefer welcomes Tyler Parrot and Aaron Haltom to the KeyForge team. Mass Mutations is delayed due to Covid-19 issues, and all Organized Play is suspended until at least June 1.

Rules Clarifications:

  • Resolve the sentences of a card's text one at a time. This allows cards like Tendrils of Pain to do two separate instances of damage, the first instance deals 1 damage to each creature (this damage would remove wards), the second instance does 3 damage to each creature. This also means that if a Smite attack kills a Duma the Martyr, Duma's neighbors will be healed before the 2 damage is dealt to them.

NOTE: An errata to Tendrils of Pain has since changed how it works in the first scenario.

Episode 19

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Summary: Josh Massey talked about Mass Mutation launch at the end of July worldwide. China and Taiwan will get product at the end of May. Also spoke about the Print and Play decks.

Aaron provides clarifications on Livia the Elder:

  • Terrordactyl's Before Fight: ability does NOT become a reap abilty.
  • Thero Centurion's Play/Fight: ability becomes Play/Fight/Reap
  • Snag's Fight: ability can't be resolved because Snag didn't fight.
  • Senator Bracchus Fight/Reap ability does not become a Fight/Reap/Fight/Reap:
  • Song of the Wild adds additional Reap: abilities that will resolve in addition to the Reap: abilities provided by Livia.
  • Kompsos Haruspex and Livia the Elder together can make Play/Fight/Reap: abilities.

Episode 20

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Summary:

Josh Massey covered the launch of Mass Mutation in certain markets, and announced that there are no new organized play events until September. FFG Organized Play is running games over Twitter using the hashtag #OPPlays. Organized Play is also looking at ideas that may be helpful for players who do not have access to local stores

Danny Schaefer gave design notes regarding some of his favorite cards from the new set:

Aaron Haltom provided rules updates and clarifications:

After reviewing the feedback from Crucible Cast 18, the rules will be getting an update for how card text should be resolved: 

Resolve text on cards in the order in which it is written with two exceptions:
 1) Replacement Effects that override another effect 
 2) When a card does multiple instances of damage, all damage will occur simultaneously.


Tendrils of Pain will be issued an errata as a replacement effect: 

Deal 1 damage to each creature. Deal 4 damage instead if your opponent forged a key on their previous turn.

Updated rulings for Mass Mutation

If I play a Maleficorn that also has a damage bonus icon on it, does it's bonus icon deal a bonus damage?
Yes. Creatures are in play before bonus icons trigger.
If I play Rad Penny with a damage bonus icon while no other creatures in play, will the damage bonus icon resolve (destroying Rad Penny) before Rad Penny's Play: effect allows me to steal one Æmber?
Yes. With no other creatures in play, a damage bonus icon on Rad Penny will destroy her before her Play: effect would trigger.
If I play a Rad Penny with a damage bonus icon and a draw bonus icon on it while no other creatures in play, will the damage bonus icon resolve and deal damage destroying Rad Penny before her draw bonus icon resolves?
Once a card has been played, all bonus icons must resolve, even if the card leaves play.

Episode 21

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Summary: Danny Schaefer spoke about the Mass Mutation worldwide release on July 10:

  • There will be bonus Æmbershards awarded during the Mass Mutation release period. Each deck registered before July 27th will be worth 10 Æmbershards instead of the usual one. (The bonus aware will be backdated for decks registered prior to the release, and there will also be bonus shards for Chainbound events)
  • Chainbound events can be held again where local social distancing rules allow for it. Players are asked to use their best judgement when attending events.

Aaron Haltom provided some rules clarifications:

If I play Exhume on an Explo-rover that is in my discard pile, can I play Explo-rover as an upgrade?
Yes, you can choose to play Explo-rover as a creature or an upgrade. Exhume creates a play restriction that tells you what cards may be chosen, but it does not specify how that card has to enter play.
Can Rock-Hurling Giant's ability deal damage to Ardent Hero?
No. Because Rock-Hurling Giant has 6 Power, it cannot deal damage to Ardent Hero from its power or printed abilities. In general, the source of the damage is the card that is dealing the damage. (Damage Bonus icons are an exception to that rule, for example.)
I have a creature that is upgrade with an Armageddon Cloak in my battleline. In my opponent's battleline there are two Harbinger of Doom. If I destroy one of the Harbingers, triggering its Destroyed: ability, can the replacement effect of Armageddon Cloak's ability protect my creature from both waves of destruction?
Yes, since both of the effects happen simultaneously, the active player can choose the order of how the effects resolve. You could resolve the Destroyed: ability of the first Harbinger, tagging all of your creatures for destruction. Then the second Harbinger's Destroyed: ability would resolve, but your creature can't be tagged for destruction a second time. Then resolve the Armageddon Cloak, removing the tag for destruction and replacing it with the destruction of the Armageddon Cloak.
I use Overlord Greking to fight my opponent's Hexpion. Hexpion is destroyed, but its Destroyed: ability archives it. Can Overlord Greking pull it out of my opponent's archive to put it into play?
No. Overlord Greking will only put creatures into play from your opponent's discard pile. If an effect sends the destroyed creature to its owner's hand, deck, archives, or purged pile, that creature will evade Overlord Greking's ability.

Episode 22

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Summary: Fantasy Flight Games normally provides their In Flight Report at GenCon. With GenCon cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, FFG will broadcast this live July 27th at 7 PM CT on their Twitch stream.

There will be a KeyForge live stream Saturday August 1 at 9 AM CT.

Organized Play will be doubling the Chainbound and Weekly Sealed event allotments, in an effort to reduce the number of players that can play at a single event to encourage social distancing.

FFG is running a Mass Mutation Scavenger Hunt. Players are asked to take a picture of an interesting combination of cards or an interesting set of bonus icons on a card and post it to social media using the #FFG hashtag and include the store where the deck was purchased.

  1. Find a deck with all 3 gigantic creatures
  2. Find a card that has 5 bonus icons granted by the Enhance keyword (Printed bonus Æmber doesn't count)
  3. Find a deck with all 7 Sins
  4. Find a deck with 20 or more total Bonus Icons
  5. Find a Keyfrog with 2 Damage Bonus Icons
  6. Find a Q-Mechs, Causal Loop, or Relentless Creeper with 3 Bonus Icons
  7. Find a Cleansing Wave or Mad Prophet Gizelhart with 3+ Damage Bonus Icons
  8. Find an Axiom of Grisk, Faust the Great, Spoils of Battle, or Senator Bracchus with 3+ capture bonus icons.
  9. Find a deck with Wild Bounty or Fission Bloom AND a card with 4 bonus icons.
  10. Find a deck with a Mutant creature that is a modified version of a Legacy creature and a legacy version of that same creature. (For example, a deck with Bad Penny and Rad Penny.

The Design team (Aaron Haltom and Danny Schaefer) then talked about the development of the Mutant creature idea for Mass Mutation.

Episode 23

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Summary:

  • A brief rundown on set 5, including houses and new mechanics.
  • Organized Play is still coming back - but larger events are on hold likely till 2021. Stores can use existing OP kits, new kits are on the way.
  • Store Championship events are postponed until later in 2020, perhaps longer. Larger events (Prime Championships, Vault Tours, etc.) are on hiatus with no plan on when they will start. World Championships invites for 2020 will be honored at the next World Championships.


Scavenger hunt items still missing:

Rules

  • When resolving Æmberlution's Play: ability, the active player decides the order creatures are put into play for both themselves and the opponent.

Episode 24

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Summary:

  • The KeyForge short stories anthology Tales from the Crucible has been released.
  • Organized Play is up and running, kits should be shipped to retailers in the next month or two.
  • The KeyForge developers gave some more background information on themselves:
    • Aaron Haltom is more of a casual gamer and enjoys designing synergistic cards. Enjoys lots of role playing games, currently playing Monster of the Week with friends.
    • Tyler Parrott has a stronger interest in cooperative games and the lore behind the games and enjoys designing cards that introduce random elements and outcomes in the game. Currently playing a lot of Overcooked online.
    • Danny Schaefer has a more competitive streak and likes to analyze for interesting lines of play. Enjoys desiging symmetrical impactful cards like Fangtooth Cavern. Danny also enjoys playing basketball and League of Legends.

Rules:

If I have a Senator Shrix in play with 1 Æmber on it and my opponent plays Bumpsy, can I lose the Æmber off of Senator Shrix instead of from my pool?
No. Senator Shrix's ability only refers to spending Æmber. Æmber is only spent when forging keys; If your Æmber would be lost, stolen, or captured, you cannot use Æmber on Senator Shrix.


Episode 25

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Summary:

  • New OP Kits are on their way. Chainbound and Weekly Sealed events are available at stores in area where it is safe to do so.
  • Aaron Haltom and Tyler Parrott of the Development Team go over how to play KeyForge via video chat. They also discussed other games that they are playing online.
  • Ryan Thompson of FFG's Media team shared tips for how to get the best results from a basic webcam setup.

Rules:

I have a stunned Saurian Egg in play. I have chosen a non-Saurian house this turn. Can I use Saurian Egg's Omni: ability to remove the Stun?
Yes, an Omni: ability lets you use the creature outside of the Active house, which will allow you to remove the Stun from the creature.
I play Ghosthawk between two ready friendly creatures; one is Stunned, the other is Enraged. What happens?
Ghosthawk's Play: ability will cause the neighbors to reap. The Stunned creature will exhaust and clear its stun. The Enraged creature will not be able to reap at all, and will remain ready.

Note from the Arcanists: This ruling was reversed with the release of Rulebook 1.7 to clarify that you are only forced to fight with an enraged creature if you use them and they are able to fight. Because Ghosthawk instructs you to reap with that creature, not to use it, you are not able to fight with it, and therfefore you can reap with it. The creature will exhaust, but will not lose its enrage counter.

In my battleline, I have Drecker next to another creature. My opponent attacks Drecker's neighbor with Macis Asp. Does the Poison from Macis Asp also apply to the Damage dealt to Drecker?
Yes. Macis Asp's power is still the source of the damage being dealt, which means that Poison also applies to that damage.
I attack my Opponent's Culf the Quiet with a Niffle Ape, ignoring the Elusive and dealing 3 damage and destroying the Niffle Ape. If I attack Culf the Quiet again with another creature, will Elusive prevent damage for that second fight or no?
Elusive will not prevent damage for the first fight. Since it is no longer the first time the creature is in a fight, Elusive is turned off.


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